Driving mechanism for torpedoes.



I'. M. LEAVITT. DRIVING MEGHANISM POR TORPEDOES APPLICATION FILED APB. 8, 1912. 1,088,080. d Patented Feb.24,1914

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F. M. LEAVITT.

DRIVING MBGHANISM ron ToRPEDoEs.

APPLICATION FILED APB. 8, 1912.

1,088,080. yPatented Feb. 204, 1914.

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FRANK M. LEAVITT, OF SMITHTOWN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO E. W. BLISSAQQMPANY, F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR TORPEDOES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 8, 1912.

Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

serial No. 689,136.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK M. LEAvi'i'i, a citizen of the United States, residing in Smithtown, in the count-y of Suffolk an'd State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Driving Mechanism for Torpedoes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention provides improved means for driving automobile torpedoes by means of a turbine engine.

An automobile torpedo has necessarily two screw propellers which revolve in opposite directions in order that each may counteract the tendency of the other to cause the torpedo t-o ioll. To insure that they shall be driven at a uniform speed they are necessarily geared together. For this purpose it has heretofore been customary to introduce four miter gears in the tail sect-ion of the torpedo, one of these being fixed u on the engine shaft upon a prolongation o which the after-propeller is carried, the opposite miter being mounted on a hollow shaft carrying the forward propeller, and the remaining miters being idlers for merely .reversing the motion from the driving to the 4driven miter gear. The presence of these miter gears in the tail section is inconvenient, and one object of the present invention is to avoid their necessity.

In the application of a fluid pressure turbine for driving a torpedo it is necessary to gear down from the turbine to the ropellers in order that the turbine may revo ve at the high speed at which it gives its best efficiency, and the 'propellers at a very much lower speed.

One object of the present invention is to combine the gearing for this `purpose with that which is required to maintain the correct ratio of speed between the oppositely revolving propellers.

In driving the torpedo by means of a turbine it is desirable, for reasons fully explained in United States patent to Davison, No. 858,266, granted June 25, 1907, to provide two turbine wheels revolvin in opposite direction at equal speeds. This involves that the turbine Wheels shall be connected through gearing in order to maintain a uniform speed ratio between them. The present invention combines the gearing for this purpose with that required for speed diminution and for revolving the propellers in opposite directions at equal speeds. In my -Patent No. 748,759, of January 5, 1904, and 1n said Davison patent, the turbine is mounted upon an axis co-incident with the major axis or center line of the torpedo. The present invention locates the oppositely revolving turbines in a plane perpendicular thereto so that they turn around an axis transverse to the torpedo.

In the. accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the after-portion of the torpedo hull showing the propelling mechanism in elevation. Fig. 2 is a vertical mid-section of the turbine engine and gearing on a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section cut on the plane of the line 3 3 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the gearing in simplified form.

In the drawings A is the torpedo hull, B B are the propellers, C C the propeller shafts and D D the turbines. The inner shaft C carries the after-propeller B, while the outer or tubular shaft C carries the forward propeller B. The turbine D is mounted on an inner shaft E, while the turbine D is mounted on a tubular shaft E surrounding the shaft E. These turbines revolve in opposite directions at preferably like speeds. The shafts E E carry respectively pinions F F, preferably of equal size, and these mesh with relatively large gear wheels A Gr and G which carry bevel pinions H H respectively. These pinions mesh with larger bevel gears J and J which are ipunted respectively on the shafts C and pinions and thus constitute a nest of gearing which serves on the one hand for connecting the turbine w-heels D D so that these are compelled to revolve in contrary directions at a predetermined speed ratio; and on the other hand to connect the shafts C C so that the propellers are compelled to turn in contrary directions at a determined speed ratio. The system of gearing also, by reason of the step down which occurs between the pinions F F and the gears Gr G', and the second step down which occurs between the pinions H H and gears J J', accomplishes the desired reduction of speed between the turbines and propellers. The entire group of gearing is arranged adjacent to the turbine instead of the reversing gears -maintaining their rotation at uniform speed ratios.

The several shafts and gears may be vari-` ously mounted. In the construction shown the shafts EE are carried in bearings a a', the bearings a a being formed in frames e c which are connected (at their opposite ends by a yoke d, between which frames is mounted a cross-piece I, the op osite end' portions of which serve as stu s around which the gears G G turn While its middle portion isi-formed .as a hub encircling the shaft C and lwhich may form a bearing e for this shaft. This shaft is also shown as hav ing'a thrust bearing f in a cross-frame g, which also forms a bearing b. The outer shaft C mayI have its thrust bearing at h against the hub e. The frames o c t-hus support the entire group of gearing. between them, and these frames are extended laterally and terminate in feet which are adapted for attachment to some suitable part of the torpedo. The preferred attachment is that shown in Fig. 1, where the feet described construction enables the entire propulsion system to be assembled as a unit exterior to the torpedo and then inserted bodily therein.

The details of construction may be greatly varied without departing from the essential features' of the invention.

The turbine wheels D D require, of course, to have their buckets oppositely pitched in order that the fluidrec ved by the initial wheel D from the nozzl i may be reversed in direction and delivered thence into the opposite buckets of the secondary wheel D, this being well understood in turbine construction. The nozzle z' is shown as formed in a cross-partition or' bulkhead K which divides the turbine hull.

Any suitable kind of bearings may be used and any suitable means may be provided for supplying lubricant for these bearings. If 1n any case the avoidance of gyroscopic effect of the turbine is not deemed important either turbine Wheel D or D might be omitted; for example, the secondary wheel D might be omitted with its shaft E, pinion F and gear G, the other parts being retained as shown; in such case the pinion H would serve solely as anidler and might be omitted.

What I claim iszy 1. In a torpedo, the combination of a turbine engine mounted on a transverse axis,

a pinion driven thereby, a gear wheel mesh ing with said pinion, a bevel inion driven at reduced speed therefrom, oppwosite bevel gears driven in contrary directions by said pinion, outer and inner propeller shafts carrying the respect-ive gears, and propellers carried by said shafts respectively.

2.' In a torpedo, the combination of a turbine engine, comprising oppositely rotating turbine wheels, pinionsl connected thereto respectively, gear wheels meshing with said pinions, bevel pinions carried by said respective gear wheels, opposite bevel gears driven in contrary directions from said pinions, outer and inner propeller shafts carrying the respective gears, and propellers carried on said shafts respectively.

3. In a torpedo, the combination of a turbine engine mounted on a transverse axis and comprising oppositely rotating turbine wheels, outer and inner shafts therefor, pinions on said shafts respectively, gear wheels meshing with said pinions, bevel pinions carried by said respective gear wheels, opposite bevel gears driven in contrary directions from said pinions, outer and inner propeller shafts carrying the respective ears, and propellers carried on said shas respectively.

4. In a torpedo, the combination of a turbine engine on a transverse axis, a shaft therefor, a pinion on said shaft, a gear wheel and bevel pinion driven therefrom, a transverse fixed stud on which said gear and bevel pinion turn, opposite bevel gears driven in contrary directions from said bevel pinion, outer and inner propeller shafts carrying said respective bevel gears, and propellers carried on said shafts respectively.

'5. In a torpedo, the combination of a turbine engine comprising oppositely rotating turbine Wheels on a transverse axis, outer and inner shafts therefor, pinions on said shafts, gear wheels on a transverse axis meshing with said pinions and having bevel pinions, said gear wheels and bevel pinions turning on a fixed transverse stud, opposite bevel gears driven in contrary directions from s aid pinions, outer and inner propeller shafts carrying the respective bevel gears, and propellers carried on said shafts respectively.

6. A propulsion unit for an automobile torpedo comprising a turbine engine on a transverse axis, inner and outer propeller shafts, reducing and reversing gearing between said engine and shafts whereby the latter are driven at reduced speeds in contrary directions, and a bearing frame for said gearing, engine, and shafts adapted to be inserted in' or removed from the torpedo as a whole.

7. A propulsion unit for an automobile torpedo comprising a turbine engine having oppositely rotated turbine wheels on a transverse axis, inner and outer propeller shafts, reducing and reversing gearing between said turbine wheels and shafts whereby the latter are driven at reduced speeds in contrary directions, and a bearing frame for said gearing, engine, and shafts adapted to be inserted in or removed from the torpedo as a whole.

8. A propulsion unit for an automobile torpedo comprising a turbine engine on a transverse axis, inner and outer propeller shafts, reducing and reversing gearing be. tween said engine and shafts whereby the VItterware driven at reduced speeds in con- FRANK M. LEAVITT.

Vitnesses: H. F. HUGHES,

F. L. CoLwELL, J r, 

